The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1887-04-28
AHnrvAr on ~ coarruazoxnas.

sion 40 q creature Of IN impulsive ct Of the Leg
isIatnre, in accord with their enmtty to that com
Pany. and tor this reason turned out and gave
the gentlemen composing It cordial reception
throughout their journey. Of course the COM
pany's frieuds felt repulsed and kept away.
What added encouragement TO their hostility, the
commission resolved Themselves into . sort of
Areopasitic council. spurning all influence, by
permitting no representative from the Drainage
Company. Now l fully recognize the high char
acter of the honorable gentlemen appointed by
the Governor 10 compose that commission. Bot
that style OF tribunal where the injured 10 allowed
no representative, let il be remembered, brought
on the Revolutionary War To say the least, it
is repulsive TO American instincts and not al
lowed To exist in the lowest order of magisterial
cOur's of inquiry. This commission their
first visit. which l understand constituted the
magnitude OF their hole examination, left Kis-
simmee City on Tuesday, February 2Sd, 1885
anchored in Lake Frt on Sunday, the 18th,
which virtually ended their inspection, and was
in Barlow en- route home March 4th. All the
personal knowledge they obtained of this portion
OF the dis riot was on this visit and II then pre-
sented ts.lI in \ state OF reclamation agreeing in
the description formerly given by the representa-
tives .h the Trustees. Any opinion they may
have afterward sdupted took its influence from
anot-er source, and s not heir own. For this 10
their lnDguaye: II il true that in February and
March, 1885, N very large proportion OF the lands
within the drainage limila, not contiguous 10 the
lakes and rivers were free from water, AS the wa
lers then were approaching their lowest annual
level. Many OF the ponds or marshes were dry
or neatly 81. Nearly the whole OF The vast prai
rie. extending Ear the eye could reach to the
eSxtg4 the K,s,immee Valley, and from the To
hUpekaliga u Lake Okeechobee, nterspersed &c
casionxlly with pine bdknas and hammOcks, was
dry and apparently 6tfSs cultivation, except here
was still standing. TO the west the country is
more varied but Of the same general character
open prairie intersperssd with pine islands aud
small clusters OF hammock growth, reaching OF
to the south and southwest until merged in the
marches OF the Okeech0bee and the Great Prairie
region it could be safey soid that for the greater
portion of its area was sbundantly dry at this
season for cultivation. Not Gully was This true
of the more elevated lands, 6dt the. rich low
prairie lying between the marshes along the
lakes and rivers, and the pine country back and
beyond were out of water and comparatively
dry"
This description OF the country agrees exactly
with that uf the representatives OF the former
Trustees, and there is no evidence that II had
been Inundated during the interval of the Wis
It's. But lei US look into the cause OF the con-
fiict between The several reports. The former
representatives came in the wet season, at the
period OF the year when the waters were ut their
highest annual elevation in the midst Of heavy
and incessant showers of RAIN, and yet found the
waters 30 low even in'Tiger creek, which the
Commission declared 1T for steamboat naviag-
ton 80 shallow, that it was difficult to ascend II
in u rowbOnt, and through the canal, whose
banks the commissioners found flooded, part of
our party had 10 wade and push the rOwboa,s.
At this time, too the steamer Bertha Lee was
stranded in Tohopekallga Indeed the whole
regiDn proclaimed a general reclamation =. wafer
and iAnd-the vegetation changing ." suddenly
as to present the appearance as II nature had
made jump. and this appearance extended lar
back in the pine woods, miles away from the
canals showing the bases oi The pine trees
bulged, indicating former normal state OF over
dow or dampness IT the ground. Saw grasses
were disappearing aud prairie grasses taksug
their place, followed by hundreds Of acres new
born palmetto roots, over which Coils Charles
Hopkins, Kreamer and myself rode for miles IN
twO-horse vehicle, and finally landed on the
dump OF the canal by the dredge boa, al Sugar
berry Hammock, jus; west OF Lakes Hickpoche
and Okeechobee, having Travelled Tor
days in showers Of rain. From
the statements of cAttle-msn, farmers
and old residents familiar with the whole ctun-
try, and other intelligent persons cOgnizant Of
the facts including Seminole Indians, as well ms
from my own personal observation, am thus
constrained 10 attribute these changes to ar,il
cial Causes, produced by the operations OF The
drainage canals, and not cycles OF dry weather.
On the other hand, the Commissioners came
in the dry season, before last Summers f,,Ods,
at the period of the year when the waters were
ct their lowest annual depressiOn. and, although
ton, Just the Representatives. I'D len t. and ss
far as the eye could reach. which did not cncom-
pass the whole dFainaee kle1, Ustf covered
enough to know It's lowest depseeaiois were dry,
which was reason SUN IAei04e4A points
more elevated were likewise. But from state
ments Of cattle men, farmers and old fesidents
familiar with the whole country, and other intel
ligent persons cognizant of the facts, ~ we'll a.
from their own observations. OF the engorged
state of the waters, for there was nothing else
reported, they attribute these changes 70 natural
causes ~, .
THE ARaUAENT. -
Now, trust to any Iogician extaut. that II
can prove TWO cases, Viz: First, That the evil
dences of cattlemen, farmers and old residents has
proved remarkable only for its unrelablensss;
Secondly, That the Commission was deceived by
artificial, instead Of natural engagements, what
is left Of their report on this uip must 60 10 sub
stantiate the former reports Of the representa-
tives.
In proving the first case, win .a,4yau my.
self OF the tact that hays already sdAWI how
farmers and cattlemen can be deceived BY an
absolute general reclamation, nor viii claim
the right to cancel the afIidavits fled BY the
Commission by those ned by the representatives,,
but only whisper the fact that just onsuch evi-
dence a. given by cat.lemen, farmers, old resi-.
dents, long familiar with The whole country, and
other intelligent citizens cOgnizant Of the fAcea
10 the State indebted for 10 many hilliogs OF
acres of its high dry land sbtained under the
overlooked and swamp act, and it 10 . most for
tunate circumstance To the commonwealth that
such hydraulic evidence, solemnly sworn and
subscribed TO, has proved 20 utterly unreliable.
In proving the second case Let me express
surprise, how it was ever possible for the Com
mission, on examing the upper improvements
which had taken place since the former repre-
seutatives were there and also noticing the IN
altered condition of the outlet canal at Okee-